Covering topics on religion, philosophy and life, this blog attempts to make biblical truths simple for the average believer. As porridge is soft to aid digestion, so the blog contents are easily understood.
However, there is also meaty stuff for those who aspire to go deeper. The relevance of the Bible in our daily life (areas such as finances, sex, marriage, health and emotional healing) is also dealt with.

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Friday, 31 May 2013

Sin is
like a beast crouching at the door, waiting to pounce upon us. “Taming the beast”
involves learning how to control ouremotions—such as anger—and impulses—such as unbridled sexual desire. By doing so, we do not give satan any opportunity to
destroy us.

In the Genesis account, two
brothers brought offerings to God. Abel’s offering which was an animal, a blood
sacrifice, was accepted by God. However, Cain’s offering, a fruit from the
ground, was rejected by God (Genesis
4: 4-7).

Abel brought an offering—fat portionsfrom some of the firstborn of his flock.TheLordlooked with favour
on Abel and his offering,but on Cain and
his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face
was downcast.

Then theLordsaid to Cain,
“Why are you angry?Why is your face
downcast?If you do what
is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have
you, but you must rule over it.”

It is not exactly clear why
God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected that of Cain's. Perhaps they had been
told of the necessity of a blood sacrifice but only Abel took heed.

Cain was not only angry but
jealous when his offering was rejected. When God pointed out to Cain his jealous anger, he could have corrected it or given in
to it. It was a matter of choice. Cain could have repented and returned with an animal
sacrifice but he did not.

Cain was tempted to sin when
he was angry his sacrifice was rejected whereas his brother’s offering was
accepted. He failed to recognise that sin
was crouching at the door, desiring to have him. He failed to rule over his
anger.

From jealous anger which was not nipped in the
bud, evil continued to fester in Cain. From anger it progressed to a vengeful
spirit. And, when he could no longer control himself, he murdered his brother.

Anyone can get angry when provoked.
However, we must not allow anger to develop till we become reckless and
irresponsible. That is why Paul wrote: “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun
go down on your anger,andgive no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4: 26-27).

“Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28). This verse highlights the need to
control not only our emotions—such as anger—but also our impulses—such as unbridled sexual desire.

Once we lack self-control, we become defenseless against “foreign
invaders” and give Satan a foothold in our lives. We may move from
temptation to sin or move from a wrongdoing to a more grievous sin.

Satan is likened
to a stalking lion, waiting to devour the naïve: “Be alert and of sober mind.Your enemy the devil prowls around like
a roaring lionlooking for someone to devour.Resist him, standing firm in the
faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

“Taming
the beast” involves learning how to control our emotions—such as anger—and impulses—such as unbridled sexual desire. By
doing so, we resist Satan; we do not give the evil one any opportunity to destroy
us.The Bible uses the highly instructive allegory of a stalking
animal waiting to strike, not once but twice—Genesis account of the two brothers making their offerings
to God and the warning given by the apostle Peter to be vigilant against the
wiles of satan.

How do we become overcomers?
For the answers, please check out the following related posts.

Footnote:

TheLordsaid to Cain:What’s wrong with you? Why do you have such an
angry look on your face?If you had done the right thing, you would be
smiling.But
you did the wrong thing, and now sin is waiting to attack you like a lion. Sin wants to destroy you,
but don’t let it!(Genesis
4:6-7, CEV).

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" continues to be hailed as one of the greatest and most influential
foreign language films in the United States, especially
for a film originating from China.

RELATED POSTS:

MOTHER OF ALL BATTLES

A clear understanding of the ongoing battle between the flesh and the Spirit is essential before we can walk in
victory.

Monday, 27 May 2013

King
David had one consuming desire. He wanted to continually dwell in God’s
presence and gaze upon God’s beauty.

“One thing have I asked of theLord,that will I seek after:that I maydwell in the house of theLordall the days of my life,to gaze uponthe beauty of theLordand to inquirein his temple.”

(Psalm
27:4)

What
exactly is the “beauty of the Lord”?

Since God
is invisible, what can we possibly appreciate when we “gaze upon His beauty”? Is
there such a thing as “beauty of the Lord” in the first place?

If
anything, God is not beautiful, judging by externals. The prophet Isaiah described Jesus as having
“no form or majesty that we should look at Himand no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah
53:2b).

If Jesus were
to present Himself before us today, He would not appear rugged, macho, handsome
or dashing. He will not make heads turn. The ladies, especially, would not be
going gaga after Him.

What then
is so beautiful about God?

When we
consider God’s wondrous creation in nature, we are simply awestruck by its beauty—whether it is the sun setting on the horizon or the majesty
of the Iguazu Falls.

When we
consider man, we marvel at the beauty of God’s intricate design: “I praise you,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul
knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14).

Apart
from God’s beauty in nature and man, we can also appreciate the beauty of the
Lord in three areas:

First, it is remarkable that God chooses to dwell in the hearts of believers.
Dispelling the image of a cold, distant, over-judgmental celestial Being—ever ready to whip us into submission—He is a personal God. In fact, He is like a father to us.

“To all who did receive him,who believed in his name,He gave the rightto becomechildren of God” (John 1:12).

“Foryou did
not receivethe spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have
received the Spirit ofadoption as sons, by whom we cry,“Abba! Father!”The
Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”
(Romans 8:15-16).

He is so
personal that He calls us His friends: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not
know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I
have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

Secondly, God’s beauty lies in His incomprehensible love, grace and mercy and humility towards
us. His favour towards us
who believe is immeasurable.

“God shows his love for us in thatwhile we were still sinners, Christ
died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“Bless
theLord, O my
soul,andforget not all his benefits,whoforgives all your iniquity,whoheals all your diseases,whoredeems your life from the pit,whocrowns you with steadfast love and
mercy,whosatisfies you with goodso that your youth is renewed likethe eagle's.”

(Psalm
103:2-5)

“Jesus
made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness
of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).

Thirdly, what is so beautiful about God is His power which can accomplish incredible things for us, within
us and through us.

“Now tohim who is able to do far more
abundantly than all that we ask or think,according
to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

“Truly, truly, I say to you,whoever believes in me will also do
the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because Iam going to the Father” (John 14:12).

“Whoever believes in me,asthe Scripture has said,‘Out of his heart will flow rivers ofliving
water.’”Nowthis he said about the Spirit,whom
those who believed in him were to receive” (John 7:38-39).

Let’s pause
for a few moments to consider these incredible truths concerning God’s power.
Though Jesus’ miracles are great, believers can also perform such great acts—and much more because the Holy Spirit is working in and through
us. Isn’t that mind-boggling?

When David
was spending time in God’s presence, what struck him concerning the “beauty of
the Lord” were certainly not superficial and external things. It’s all about the
attributes of God, His unchanging promises, mighty acts and favour towards
those who are faithful. All these things make God beautiful.

To gaze
upon the beauty of the Lord is to contemplate the glorious excellence and
perfectionthat can
only be found in God.

“I will
remember the deeds of theLord;yes, I will remember your miraclesof long ago.I will considerall your worksand meditate on all your mighty
deeds.”

(Psalm
77:11-12)

When we
gaze upon His beauty, we are filled with a sense of awe and gratitude. Such an
attitude results in praise, thanksgiving and service.

RELATED
POSTS

WORSHIP BEFORE SERVICE

Getting ourselves immersed in worship is so important. For worship brings
down God’s presence and paves the way for effective service.

Thursday, 23 May 2013

Childlike faith is commendable.
But there are dangers when we are trustful and naïve like a child.

When it
comes to appreciating spiritual truths, intellectuals have no advantage over
anyone with childlike faith. Having the intellectual prowess of the likes of
Bertrand Russell or Stephen Hawking is futile. It cannot bring anyone any
closer to a state of personal intimacy with God. To touch God we merely need to
believe that
Jesus died for our sins and let Him take charge of our lives. *

Jesus
said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

The
disciples rebuked the people when the latter brought children to Jesus that He
might touch them. But Jesus was indignant and said,“Let the
children come to me;do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.Truly,
I say to you, whoever does notreceive the
kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”AndHe took
them in His arms and blessed them (Mark 10:13-16).

When
we seek God, we are to be like little children. We need humility and an
attitude of dependency. If we are proud of the fact we know a lot, we will fail
to appreciate the many blessings, promises and revelations that God has
prepared for us.

Jesus
declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden
these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little
children" (Matthew 11:25).

Being
childlike implies a lack of corruption. We start off in life with a “clean
slate” and along the way we get corrupted by the world, bad company and our
flesh. Adam and Eve lost their innocence after they sinned in the Garden of
Eden. And we inherited Adam’s sinful nature. Ideally, we should maintain our
childlike innocence even as we mature: “Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (1
Corinthians 14:20b). But, of course, this is easier said than done. **

Having touched on the virtues of being childlike, let’s now move on to
examine what childlikeness should not be like:

Firstly, being
childlike does not mean we should be naïve—not
aware of the potential dangers or pitfalls that might happen to us. Murphy’s Law states that
“if anything can go wrong, it will”. To think that everything in life will turn
out well so we do not need any backup or contingency plan is being naïve, to
say the least. Doesn’t God make the sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45)?

“A prudent person foresees danger and takes
precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the
consequences” (Proverbs 22:3). This axiom may be true of a breadwinner
who needs to buy disability or life insurance to provide for his family’s needs in
case he is disabled or he is no longer around, respectively. Or it may mean planning, saving and investing—starting from the early phase of working life—in
order to build a retirement nest egg. People who fail to be proactive may suffer the consequences later in life. As they say, “People don’t plan to fail. They only fail to plan.”

Secondly, being childlike does not mean we become so trustful
that we fail to be vigilant against deception. The apostle Paul declared that we have
to be vigilant so that we are
not outwitted by Satan (2 Corinthians 2:11). The apostle Peter cautioned us to
be alert and sober as Satan, the roaring lion, is prowling around waiting to
devour us (1 Peter 5:8). Only those who are mature—those who have outgrown their
childishness—won’t fall prey to the devil’s devices.***

Believers
need to progressively grow towards maturity. If we choose to remain like little
children, despite having clocked many years in the faith, this sad commentary
might become true:

“In fact, though by
this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the
elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant,
is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for
the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil”
(Hebrews 5:12-14).

Being childlike has both positive and
negative connotations. We should have childlike faith, innocence and purity. But
we should not benaïve like a child but be vigilant against the wiles of Satan and prepare ourselves for
various contingencies. We must

not let our guard down.

Childlikeness is a virtue to be cherished and
appreciated. However, we need to progressively mature in our journey of faith—and
grow out of our childish ways.

RELATED POSTS:

* SCIENCE AND FAITH

Man cannot know God through the rational process—no matter how great his
intellect. Faith, the means by which man comes to know God, is not
against reason; it transcends reason.Reason
may help to build faith but it (reason) can never ultimately bring a person to
know God.

Monday, 20 May 2013

Getting ourselves
immersed in worship is important. For worship brings down God’s presence and
paves the way for effective service.

We need to sit at Jesus’ feet, enthralled by
His presence and not asking for anything. His presence, in itself, is the
reward. And, out of this intimate relationshipwith God, goodworks will spring forth. We need to be like Mary first; and then,
spontaneously, we will be able to serve like Martha (Luke 10:38-42).

Jesus told the Samaritan woman he met at the
well that they who worship God must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23). He
stressed that the place of worship is not so critical as compared to
worshipping God correctly (John 4: 21).

What then is true worship?

Worship
is a reflection of man’s attitude of humility and submission. Man responds to
God’s majesty, love and mercy with reverence and adoration.

The New Testament Greek word most often translated
to “worship” is proskuneo which means “bow down before” or “fall down
before”.

Though posture can assist us in worship, we can
worship God whether we are sitting, standing, supine or prostrate. Of course,
when we bow down or fall down prostrate, we better reflect submission and dependency; adoration and reverence for God become
more spontaneous.

Whilst a congregational settingfacilitatesworship, every believer must, first of all, see himself or
herself as an individualcoming
before God in worship. An ability to sing, play a musical instrument or
compose music may help us to personalise worship. The accompaniment of recorded
or live music may lift worship to another level.

However, we need to recognise the fact that true
worship is possible even when all these “frills” are absent. Even if we are tone deaf or are
stricken with hoarseness due to a throat infection, we can still worship God. It
is not about the music, ambience or our voice but our heart’s
attitude.

A majestic sunset etched against the horizon
or a gigantic waterfall like the Iguazu Falls can leave us in awestruck wonder.
Such fascinating sights in nature prompt us to spontaneously worship God the Creator.

However, to worship the personal God, we have to believe Christ
died for our sins and choose to obey Him. When that happens we are “born again”
and receive the Spirit of Christ into our lives. Our ‘spirit man’ become sensitive to God. We are able to call Him, “Abba Father.”

If there is unconfessed sin in our lives, we need
to repent first. Sin breaks our fellowship with God,
rendering our worship to mere words and songs without any substance.

If we have not sorted out our priorities in life, having one foot in the world and the other in God’s kingdom, then our worship becomes shallow. Our mind needs to be renewed (Romans12:1-2) before
we can worship God with an undivided heart. A carnal man who wants to have the
best of both worlds will not be able to experience true worship.

The image of God that we hold in our mind must also be
correct: God is loving and merciful as well as holy and just. Though He is
quick to forgive our sins, He will hold us accountable if we take abuse His
grace and continue to live in sin. If we only entertain half-truths about God—that He is always gracious and loving, no matter how we
live our lives—then we are worshipping a “God”
we have created ourselves, not the true God. Worshipping a ‘God with man-made
attributes’ is tantamount to idolatry.

Derek Prince, the famed Bible teacher, taught
that, out of the six wings of the seraphim (a type of angelic being), only two
were used to fly. The rest of the wings merely rested—two covered the face and two covered the feet (Isaiah 6:2). That is why, he stressed, we should emphasise worship much more than service.

Sometimes believers have misplaced priorities. We get
restless, wanting to flap our wings. We want to serve Him with little or no
worship in our lives.

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” — WESTMINSTER SHORTER
CATECHISM. To glorify God through service, man has to
first enjoy God’s presence in worship.

Worship must precede service. To serve before
worshipping God is like putting the cart before the horse.